sheng-yen lu - the mystical experiences of true buddha disciples
TRANSCRIPT
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f
V
The
Mystical
Experiences
True
Buddha
Disciples
Master
Sheng-Yen
Translated
bySlong
R'evised
and
e^ed
by
Janny Chow
and
K.C. Ng
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Digitized
by
tine Internet Arciiive
in
2009
littp://www.arcliive.org/details/mysticalexperienOOIusliricli
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The
Mystical
Experiences
of
True
Buddha
Disciples
Master
Sheng-yen
Lu
Translated by
Siong
Ho
Revised
and
edited
by
Janny
Chow and
K.C.
Ng
Amitabha
Enterprise,
Inc.
San
Bruno,
California,
U.S.A.
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The
Mystical
Experiences
of True
Buddha
Disciples
First
Edition
@
1993
by
Amitabha
Enterprise, Inc., San Bruno, California.
All
rights reserved.
Permission
to copy
(without
fee)
all
or part of this
book is
granted,
provided
that
the
copies are
not made or
distributed
for direct commercial advantage. The
Amitabha
Enterprise, Inc. copyright notice must appear, along
with the title of the
publication and related
data.
Notice must
be
given that copying is by
permission
of
the Amitabha En-
terprise,
Inc.. To otherwise
copy or to
republish, requires both
written permission and
a
fee.
Library
of
Congress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lu,
Sheng-yen,
1945-
[Kuei i che
ti kan
ying.
English]
The
Mystical Experiences
of
True
Buddha
Disciples
/
Sheng-yen
Lu;
translated by
Siong Ho
;
revised
and edited
by Janny Chow and
K.C.
Ng.
1st
ed.
p.
cm.
Translation of:
Kuei i che ti kan ying.
ISBN
1-881493-01-6
:
$
10.00
1. Religious
life
Chen-fu
(Sect) 2.
Chen-fu
(Sect)
I.
Ho,
Siong,
1952-
. II.
Chow, Janny,
1952-
. III.
Ng, K.C.
(Kwok
C),
1957-
.
IV.
Title.
BQ9800.C4892L824413
1993
294.3'4422
dc20 93-3807
CIP
Printed
in
the
United
States of
America. 1993
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A
Word
From
The
Master
We
know
that physical
energy
is
a
form
of
external
phe-
nomenon
and that
mental
energy
is
an
invisible
phe-
nomenon.
For
example,
brain waves,
thoughts,
etc.,
are
invisible
energies.
If we
human beings are
able
to
con-
centrate
and
direct
our
brain
waves into
physical
matter,
actually
altering the matter,
then this is
the
inner world
manipulating the outer
world.
Based on religious
practice, during
Zen
meditation.
Holy
Red Crown
Vajra
Master,
the Tantric Practitioner,
uses
visualization,
mudra*
and
mantra
to
activate
man's primordial potential
energy. This
activation
en-
ables
such energy
to unite
with
cosmic
energy, producing
the
great
cosmic energy
in
man.
Religious
practice
is not superstition; rather, it is a
scientific
practice of
inner
illumination.
The practice
of
Zen
meditation is, indeed,
a
great science
among the
sci-
ences.
*
Terms defined
in the Glossary are
printed in
boldface
where
they
first
appear
in
the
text.
m
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Contents
Acknowledgements
vii
Preface
A
True
Personal
Statement
1
1.
My
First
Travel
Through The
Illusory
Realm
of the Great
Void
6
2. A
Whole
Monastery Takes
Refuge
12
3.
The
Advance Notice of the Fire
Deva
17
4. An Apparition's Call
21
5.
A
Happy Lottery Winner
26
6.
Escape From The
Inferno
Of
Death
31
7.
Voices
Through
The Walls
36
8.
A
Case
of Instantaneous
Transportation
40
9.
Lawyer
Henry's
Daughter
45
10.
Seeking
One's Fate
50
11.
Rescue
in
Secrecy
-
54
12.
A
Strange
Ghostly
Look
59
13.
The
Case of
A
Strange
Odor 64
14. The
Manifestation
of the
Guru's
Heart
Mantra
69
15. Light From
The
Mala
73
16. Initiation
of
An
Eminent Monk
78
17.
A
Wish
83
IV
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Contents
(Cont.)
18.
The
Image In
The
Sky
87
19.
The
Cause
of Faith in Buddhism
91
20.
The
Mystical
Experiences of
a
Ph.D.
95
21.
The
Ancient
Jade Bangles
98
22.
A Taste of
Suffering
in
Dreams
102
23.
The
Initiation
of
a
Student of
Master
Kung
106
24. A
Woman From
Alaska
111
25. The Cement
Master
115
26.
The
Initiation of
Ghosts
120
27.
A
Collection
of
Mystical Experiences
From
Students
125
28.
Cancer
On
The
Neck
132
29. Messages
From Chicago
136
30. The Proper
Name
of the
True
Buddha
Home Temple
141
31.
The
Worldly Dharma
and
the
Transcendental
Dharma
146
32.
Golden Light
From
Ten
Thousand
Lotuses
151
33.
Invitation
To
A Speech
155
Glossary
159
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c.
VI
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Acknowledgements
The
Amitabha
Enterprise,
Inc.
would
like to thank
the
following for
making
this
translation
possible:
Grand
Master
Sheng-yen
Lu (Living
Buddha
Lian-
shen) for
His
blessing and
guidance;
Master
Lian-tze,
Master
Lian-han, and
Master Samantha
Chou for
their
encouragement;
Siong
Ho for
all his hard
work
in the
original translation;
Janny
Chow
and
Kwok
C.
Ng for
re-
vising the
translated
manuscript;
Pamela
Ziv Johnson
for
editing and
technical
advice;
Tannic
Liu and
Kevin
Hen-
derson
for their
valuable
advice;
Ceciha Chung,
Lawrence
Chong,
Hector
Campbell,
and
Grace
Yang
for
their
in-
volvement
in
bringing
this project
to
its
present
book
form.
vu
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The
Mystical
Experiences
of
True
Buddha
Disciples
IX
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/-?
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Preface
A
True
Personal
Statement
The
Holy
Red
Crown
Vajra
Master
Sheng-yen
Lu,
the
Tantric
Practitioner,
currently has
70,000
students^
around
the
world.
Undoubtedly,
in
the
future,
this
niun-
ber
will
greatly
multiply
to
tens
of
millions.
There is
a
profound
affinity between
Amitabha
Buddha and
Master
Sheng-yen
Lu.
Due
to
the great
vow
and
compassion
of
White
Padmakumara, the
Dheirina
Body
of
Master
Sheng-yen
Lu,
Amitabha
Buddha
has
es-
pecially
asked
White
Padmakumara
of the
Maha
Twin
Lotus
Ponds
to
descend
to
the
human
world
to
turn
the
great
Dharma
Wheel
of
salvation.
It
is
hoped that
sen-
tient beings,
upon
seeing
and
hearing
the
profound
Bud-
dha
Dharma,
will
gradually
know
and
practice it,
thus
enabling
themselves
to be
salvaged
by
Amitabha's
Pure
Land.
The
Amitabha
Sutra says:
If a
virtuous
man
or woman
hears
of
Amitabha
and
persistently
upholds
his
name, whether
for one day,
two
days, three
days,
four days,
five
days,
six
days, or
seven
days
and, if
the
mind
is
unified
and not
disconcerted,
then,
when
such a
person is
dying,
Amitabha
and
his
retinue will
appear before
him.
When
such
a
person
dies,
if his mind
is free of
contrary
thoughts,
he will be
reborn
in
Amitabha's
Paradise
of Ultimate
Bliss
[Sukhavati].
This part
of
the
sutra
is genuine, the
merits
to
be
^
As
of
1993,
there
are
over
1,000,000
students
all
around
the world who
have taken
refuge
in Grand
Master
Lu.
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derived from
it are inconceivable,
and
all Buddhas
are
mindful of them.
The
Maha Twin
Lotus
Ponds
are among
the
most
magnificent
scenes
of
the
Western
Paradise
of
Ultimate
Bliss.
Padmakumara
(Lotus
Child) is
the Lo-
tus
Bodhisattva.
It
is
similar
if
one hears
the
name
of
Padmakumara
and desires
to
be born in
the
Maha Twin
Lotus Ponds.
If one
can
just
uphold
the
Padmakumara's
Heart
Mantra
and
practice the
Padmakumara
Yoga
and,
if one's
mind
is
calm
and
free
from
contrary
thoughts,
then
one will be
reborn in
the
Pure
Land of
the Maha
Twin
Lotus Ponds.
It
is true
that all
Buddhas
are
mindful
of this.
The
merits are
inconceivable and
rare.
It
is
the
most remark-
able
way
of
salvation
in today's world.
The
Dharma
of
the True
Buddha
School
is the same
as
that
of
Amitabha,
sharing the
same
goals,
interests
and
merits.
The founder
of
the
True
Buddha
School,
the
Holy
Red Crown
Vajra
Master,
is
a
teacher
of
right belief
in
Buddha
Dharma.
He instructs
people
to approach
the
auspicious
and
avoid the
disastrous,
to
perform
good
deeds,
and
to achieve
the
Six
Transcendental Pow-
ers.
He
teaches
people
to
understand
the
karmic
law
(law
of Cause and
Effect)
of the
past,
present,
and
fu-
ture,
to
lead
directly
to
man's
true-self,
to
salvage and
liberate
all sentient beings
from
suffering
in the cycles of
birth
and death, so
that
everyone
can
ascend to
the
Maha
Twin
Lotus
Ponds
of
the
Buddha
kingdom.
Due
to
his
great
vow
and
compassion,
Vajra
Master
Lian-shen
(the refuge
name
of Master
Sheng-yen
Lu) is
protected
and
assisted
by
all Buddhas.
His work
of sal-
vation
is
manifested
in immeasurable
and
inexhaustible
ways.
Incidents
are
frequently
noted
where
disciples
have
received
psychic
responses
from
Master Lian-shen.
Word
of
the wonderful
manifestations
of
Padmakumara
and
of
the
countless
mystical
experiences
have
caused
uproars
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everywhere.
The
manifestations
of Vajra Master
Sheng-yen Lu,
the
Transformation Body
of
Padmakumara,
are won-
drous happenings.
Students who have experienced
these,
themselves,
through
sight
or sound, all
know
these mani-
festations
to
be real.
The impossible has
become
possible,
and inconceivable
miracles
have
occurred.
Because there is
a
large
number
of
mystical experi-
ences which are happening to
the initiated, I only selected
those
in which
the
mystical
experience
was
strong and
the
experience
verifiable.
I noted these manifestations
page
by page
to
ensure
that
readers would
know that the Bud-
dha
Dharma of the
True
Buddha
School and the psychic
responses from
the
Holy
Red Crown Vajra
Master
axe
genuine.
I
have
often
remarked
that
one
kind
of
rice
can
feed
one
hundred
kinds of
people.
There
are many
mirax:les
and
many sincere disciples. However, some
obstinate
skeptics
of Buddhism still do not
believe this.
I hope
such
readers
will abandon
this
prejudiced view
and
read
this book objectively,
humbly seeking
verification. If
you
realize
verification, yoiu:
doubts
will
be
cleared
from
you
and
you
will certainly want to take refuge in the
Holy
Red
Crown Vajra
Master
and the True
Buddha School.
You
will become one of the devotees, find Truth, and ex-
perience the
mystical
experience.
All
students of
the True
Buddha School are of the
lineage
of
Master
Lian-shen,
who has
attained
Realiza-
tion. The White
Padmak;umara
of the Maha Twin Lotus
Ponds
is
[an
emanation of]
the
Dharma
body
of Master
Lian-shen.
To
receive mystical experience, one must sin-
cerely believe this.
If
an
initiated
student,
(following
the
great
vow
of
Master Lian-shen and his spirit of
salvaging
the world),
makes,
with
compassion
and
loving
kindness,
a
great
vow
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to
liberate
sentient
beings, he
should first
commit
no evil
deeds,
and
then
perform
all
virtuous
deeds.
That
is,
one
should
eliminate
one's
greed,
anger
and
ignorance,
emd
then
practice
the
Six Perfections (Paramitas) of
the
Bodhisattvas.
In
Dharma practice (sadhana). one
starts
with
the
Four
Preliminaries, continues
with
the
Guru
Yoga,
then
the
Personal Deity Yoga, and finally
achieves
response
in
the great
Vajra Yoga and
the Highest Yoga
Tantra.
Practice
daily
and
consistently,
as
consistently
as one
takes
ones
meals, because Dharma
practice is
nutrition
for
the
mind.
Strive to
progress.
One
will receive the hght
from
the
Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas,
purifying
one's neg-
ative
karma
and
ehminating
misfortunes,
while increas-
ing
one's
blessings and
wisdom.
Eventually, the wonderful psychic responses from
the
Holy
Red
Crown
Vajra
Master
Lian-shen will manifest
themselves,
and
miracles
will
occur.
One
who
experi-
ences
these
will gain
more confidence. Any student of the
TVue
Buddha
School
who has psychic
responses
should
treat
them
as
an encouragement, not
become
attached
to
them
by
becoming
complacent.
Further,
students
should
hmnbly
improve themselves, pursuing the correct results,
and attaining
Supreme Perfect
Enhghtenment.
The mystical
exp>eriences
of
refuge
students
which
are
contained in
this book
are
completely
factual.
However,
due to fear
for
their reputations, some students do not
wish
their
nemies
to
be
published.
Therefore,
some
ficti-
tious
names have been
used
instead of real
ones.
This
is
unavoidable
and
I
hope
readers
will understand.
To
help
a confused world
we
need
real
occurrences
of
mystical
exp>eriences. Today there exist not only despi-
cable minds,
murders, robberies,
and sexual
assaults,
but
also
heavy
emphasis
is
placed
by
people
on
personal
fame
and
gain.
Where
many disasters
occur,
theories
alone are
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not sufficient.
Some
Dharma
preachers
depend on the-
ories
alone,
expounding
only on them,
but
listeners
will
not
believe them
because
there
are no
fgicts
to support the
theories. Some
people
condemn
mystical
experiences
as
manifestations of evil
spirits. As a
matter of fact, mysti-
cal
experiences
are
phenomena
which are part of Buddha
Dharma
practices. Many
practitioners
only
start
to be-
lieve
and practice
sincerely
after
they
have
had
mystical
experiences.
Mystical
experience is
an
expedient
means
for the
Bodhisattvas to
help
all beings
release themselves
from
sufferings.
This view
has
been misunderstood by
many
left-home people
(monks),
who are unable to
receive
mystical
experiences themselves,
and
so
condemn them
as evil
occurrences.
True
Buddha
practitioners
should
strive
to
awaken
to
their
original
nature
and
transcend
life
and death.
It is
only
through
actual practice
that
one
receives
mystical experience,
perfect
understanding,
en-
lightenment,
and
the
attainment of
the
supreme Buddha
path.
Those
of
you
who,
having
obtained
and read my
spir-
itual books,
honestly believe
Venerable Master Lian-shen
to
be an
enlightened person,
believe the
True
Buddha
School
to
be
a
true
Buddhist
sect,
and would
like to
have
a
master
for
life-time
guidance,
please take refuge accord-
ing
to
the
refuge
procedure.
Send
your name,
address and
age to
the following
permanent
mailing
address
(with
an
offering of any
amount).
You
will then receive
the actual
lineage
of
the
True
Buddha
School.
Sheng-yen Lu
17102 NE 40th
Ct.
Redmond, WA 98052
U.S.A.
Redmond,
Washington,
U.S.A.
May
1985
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1.
My
First
Travel
Through
The Illusory
Realm
of
the
Great
Void
In April,
1975,
I
published my first
spiritual
book enti-
tled
Experiences
in
Spiritual
Reading.
One
of
the chap)-
ters in
that
book is
called
Traveling through
the
Illusory
Reahn^ of
the
Great
Void.
This was my first
experience in traveling
through
the
Illusory
Realm
of the Great Void.
I was
only
twenty-five
years old, more than
ten
years
ago
now. To
quote fi'om
the
text
of
that experience:
So
much
had happened
that
day that I
went
to
bed
thinking
about it all. I couldn't fall asleep
right
away.
Suddenly, I smelled the
fi'agrance
of
sandalwood.
I closed
my
eyes.
In
a
trance, I
saw
a circle
of
fight
as bright
as
a
mirror,
surrounded
by a
shimmering
golden
aura. At
that
moment,
my
body
seemed
to
float in
the air
and through
the circle of fight. I
could
only
hear
the wind
blowing
and
it
began
to
feel
as if I had flown
a
very
long dis-
tance.
Suddenly
I realized
I
was
in
a
different
dimension.
Indeed,
I had
entered
a
world of
a
different
dimension.
Somehow
it was
clear to me, that this
was
the
Il-
lusory
Realm of the
Great
Void, and
that
I was touring
the
Illusory
Realm
under
the guidance of
a
certain
force.
I
met
many
Bodhisattvas
whom
I could not
recognize.
They bowed
in
salutation. I saw
lotus flowers
as large
^
Illusory
Realm
here
refers
to a
reahn
that is manifested
out
of the
Void.
6
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as
car
wheels, in
many colors, and on every
lotus
flower
stood
a
child.
Each
child held
in
its
hand
a lotus
of
a
different
color.
Ladders,
surrounded
by
gods
clad
in
gold
armor,
came
down from the space
above.
A
beautiful
mist
floated
up
from the ground. I
saw
elaborately carved
abodes
adorned with
gold, silver
and
crystal
their re-
splendent
lights cascading
all over the
ground.
I saw two
pillars
that
stretched
up
to
the
clouds. A voice
spoke in
my ear
saying that
one
pillar represented K'unlun Moun-
tain and
the other represented the Sumeru^.
As
I stated
previously this
is part
of the
chapter
Traveling
through the
Illusory Realm of
the
Great Void,
from my book Experiences
in Spiritual
Reading.
It
was
written
more
then ten
years
ago,
about
an experience
that
occurred
when
I
was twenty-five
years
old. At that
time, I
was
a
young
man. Now, I
am
middle-aged. The
reason I again
bring
up
this
occmrrence
is
to
offer it
as
evidence.
The
following sentences are the
account
of
Pad-
makumara. I
saw lotus
flowers
as
laxge
as
car wheels,
in many
colors,
and on every
lotus flower stood a child.
Each child held in its hand a
different colored lotus.
In
that
chapter,
I
have
disclosed
my
previous
Ufe.
Was
traveling through the
Illusory Realm
of the
Great
Void real?
At
the
time I told only two people what
had
happened.
They
were
my parents. I
remember my
father
said, Born
from
a
lotus,
born from
a
lotus, isn't
it
the
Third
Prince Nata?^
My father
had read
stories
about
Chinese
gods
and
thought
that
a
child
born from
^
According
to
Taoist
cosmology,
whoever
ascends the
K'unlun Mountain
reaches the heavens.
In
Buddhist
cosmol-
ogy, Sumeru
is
a
mountain
at the center
of
the
universe.
The
two
pillars seen side
by side
here
thus
represent an integration
of Taoist
and
Buddhist
philosophy
in
Master
Lu's
upcoming
spiritual growth.
^
The Third Prince Nata
is
a
figure
in Chinese mythology.
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a
lotus must be
the Third
Prince
Nata.
In the
intervening ten years I have changed
from
a
young
min
to
a
middle-aged
man,
and I have
cultivated
to
the
stage
of the
Holy
Red
Crown Vajra
Master,
Lian-
shen
the Tantric
Practitioner.
Still, these events
seem
as
if they just
happened yesterday.
Some people think
that
Sheng-yen
Lu is someone who only talks
about
ghosts and
deities,
thus
his words axe not true.
But I say, My vow
is to
Uberate
sentient
beings
even
if
I
will
be
smashed *
into pieces
My
traveling through the Illusory
Realm
of
the
Great
Void,
my
awareness of
my previous
hves and
of
the
incarnation of
Padmakumara
(because
of his vow)
are all true.
If
someone
were
to
threaten my
life
with
a
gun
or
a
knife,
to force me
to say
that those
events
are
false,
I
would
choose
death
rather
than
he.
This
is
because
what I saw was real, clear, vivid and
comprehensible. All
Buddhas
and
Bodhisattvas
are my witnesses
I want to tell the reader that I
and
my holy
title are,
indeed, genuine and unique:
The Western Lotus
Ponds
Assembly^, the
Maha
*
Here Master
Lu
is talking about his
vow
to
teach
Tantric
Buddhism.
Although
Tantric Buddhism
has
long been
known
to
lead
a
person
to
Buddhahood
in this
life,
it
has been
well
guarded and cloaked in
complete
secrecy. Traditionally,
the se-
crets are
only
revealed to people
who are spiritually ready;
now
Master
Lu
is wiUing
to
teach the essence of Tantra to
anyone
who is willing
to
leam.
Thus he
is
willing
to
accept
any ret-
ribution that may be caused by his
deviation from traditions,
even if
he
is to be pulverized into
smaJl particles.
^
This
refers
to
the assembly of Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas
in
the
Western
Parsidise
of
Amitabha,
Sukhavati.
Within
Amitabha Buddha's Western Paradise exist
two
very
large
lo-
tus ponds
and
within
those ponds there
are
eighteen
great Pad-
makumaras,
including
one robed in
white,
i.e.
Master
Lu.
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Twin
Lotus
Ponds, the Eighteen
Maha
Padmaku-
maras,
the
Holy Revered One Robed
in
White,
the
Holy
Red Crown
Vajra
Master,
the
Secret
Ruler
of
the
Realm
of
Mantra,
the Great
Enlightened
Founder
of
Ling Shen True
Buddha
School, the Illustrious
Tantrika Sheng-yen
Lu.
My
Dharma Body
(Self
Nature
Body),
permanent
and
indestructible, is in
the Maha Twin Lotus
Ponds.
My
Bliss
Body,
which
has
already
attained
inner
Dharma
happiness,
fills the
whole
universe and is able
to
respond
to
needs. My
Transformation Body is
an
emanation of
Padmakumara who,
according
to
the needs of the sentient
beings,
appears
in the
world
to
liberate
all beings.
Why
do
people
still disbelieve? The True
Buddha
School
is
such
a
great
Dharma cause, with so
many
gen-
uine cases of
mystical experiences.
Why
do
people still
refuse
to
believe?
The
Buddha
Dharma
is
boundless and
is
for
helping all humanity, but
only
belief
can
lead people
to it.
Those
who
take refuge
in Holy
Red Crown
Vajra
Master are
those
who
believe
in
the
existence
of the Pad-
makumara.
Their
Tantric
cultivation
will
not fail and,
in having
the
right
belief,
they also
obtain
mystical
ex-
periences. The
opening
of this Dharma gate
leads
to the
unexcelled
Truth
of
the great Buddhist
path. Let
us
all
chant
together, Om
ah hum,
guru
bei, ah ho sa sa
maha,
Lian-shen
siddhi
hum,.''''
Perhaps
some
people
might wonder
which
Bod-
hisattva is
Padmakumara.
In
fact,
Padmakumara
is
a
transformation of
the Pure Eye
Tathagata. The
samadhi of
this
Buddha is based
on
the Universal
Eye
of Great
Compassion,
observing
and
responding to all
sentient
beings,
guiding
them
to
become Buddhas
them-
selves. The
hght
of
his
compassionate
eye
shines
every-
where.
Its
Tantric
title is
Buddha
Victory
Vajra.
In
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Tantric
Buddhism,
it
is The
All
Buddha
Eye
of the
Great
Vajra
that
constitutes
the
Auspicious
Mother
of
all
Buddhas,
that
is, the
Venerable Buddha
Locana.
Her
merits
are
truly
great.
It
is
the
Great
Diamond
of
the
Auspicious
Mother of
all Buddhas, which is
Buddha-
eye
Sage.
Her
merits,
too,
are
truly
great.
The
Venerable Buddha Locana
is
transformed
into
the
Eighteen
Padmakumaras, and the
transformation
bodies
of the Eighteen
Paxlmakumaxas
have
appeared
in
the
world
to
help
sentient
beings
this
is
the
remark-
able
Dharma Cause. The
great
salvation Dharma
being
proclaimed by
Vajra
Master Sheng-yen
Lu is
more than
an
ordinary act
of
faith, it
requires
Guru-devotion,
Trea-
suring
the Dharma,
and
Actual
Practice. This
is
an ex-
traordinary
opportunity for
a
true,
universal salvation.
The
Universal
Eye
of
Great
Compassion
is
like
a
great
sun
radiating light and energy. The great power
of Pad-
maJcumaxa
is
unimaginable,
and
similar
to that
of
every
Bodhisattva.
He brings
peace
and comfort
to the bodies
and
minds
of all
beings.
In order
to assist and prove
the
existence of
Amitabha
of
the
Western
Paradise
of
Ultimate
Bliss,
Padmakumara
has
incarnated
in
the human realm to spread
these
teach-
ings.
He has all the wisdom
of the Tathagata to
cleanse
negative karmas
and
end
worries.
It
is
a
powerful
wisdom
that
will
accomplish
great
things.
Padmakumara holds
a
preaching
mudra
in his
right
hand,
which
is
to
teach
and
save
all
beings.
His
left
hand holds
a lotus mudra
which
is the attainment of
^
This
paragraph contains various titles
of Buddha Locana.
Buddha
Locana
is
Sanskrit
for Buddha
Eye, and
she
is
an ex-
pression of
the Great Sun Buddha
Vairocana. It is
through
the
eyes
that
pure awareness in
the heart is
expressed
and
per-
ceived
as
radiance
or
streams
of
light.
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the
fruit
of
Padmakumaxa.
The great
Dharma cause
of
Padmalcumara
to
save
all
sentient
beings
is pouring
the
great Dharma
rain, blowing the great
Dharma conch,
beating
the
great
Dharma drum, and displaying the great
Dharma meanings.
Padmalcumara
is
the Lotus
Child and
also the
venerable
Buddha
Locana,
who
is
also
the
Wor-
thy of Worship, the
Omniscient, the Knowledge-Conduct-
Perfect,
the Well-Gone, the
Knower of the Worlds,
the
Peerless One,
the
Master of
Taming,
the
Teacher
of devas
and
men,
and Buddha.
The Buddha
power
of
Padmakumara
fills
boundless
and
immeasurable
time
and
space.
Padmakumara has
emitted
his Light
to
prompt
all beings
to
take
refuge
and
be
saved;
therefore, I,
Master
Sheng-yen
Lu,
will write
spiritual books
one after
another.
Here
is
a
verse:
Traveling
leisurely through
the
Great
Void,
The Buddha
eyes
of
Padmakumara
See
the destiny
of
this remarkable
Dharma
cause,
To
save heavenly and worldly beings
and those
in the
Nether worlds.
This is
the
great
salvation
of both
heaven
and
earth.
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2.
A
Whole
Monastery
Takes
Refuge
This
should
be
an
ordinary story
but, from the
ordinary,
a
trace
of
the
extraordinary
is
revealed....
It
happened
in
a
rural
monastery in Southern
Tai-
wan.
The
monastery
is
located
half-way
up
a mountain.
With
many, huge
apple
trees
surrounding
it,
the
setting
provides an ideal
atmosphere
for
spiritual practices.
A
young
lady
from
a
wealthy
family was staying
in
the
monastery.
In the quiet
atmosphere
she prayed
to
the
Buddhas
and
studied in
preparation
for the university
entrance
examination.
In addition
to the textbooks she
had
to study, she
had also
brought along some rehgious
literature,
including
a
few of my spiritual
books.
At this time
some
strange
events
began to happen.
One night,
the
abbot of the monastery dreamed
that
he
was
walking
aroimd
inside
the monastery.
He
came
to
the
door of this
wealthy
young
lady
and saw
her
reading
a
book which was not
a
textbook nor a
Buddhist
scrip-
tiu-e.
Strangest of all,
this book
emitted billions of rays
of golden
hght,
which
were
so
strong that he
had
to
close
his
eyes. He woke
up
as a result of this.
Although
the
abbot
felt
the
dream
was
strange,
he
did
not
concern
himself
about
it.
The
following
night,
however,
he
had
the same dream again.
This he
did
not
understand
and
he
began to
wonder. The
third
night
he
had
the
same dream
again. He decided
to
investigate,
be-
heving that
the dream
must
contain some unusual mean-
ing.
What
a
person
dreams
once
cannot
be
considered
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unusual. For
the
same
dream
to
occur
twice
is
a
little
strange. When it
occurs
three times, one
must look into
it.
Restless,
the abbot
went
to
the young lady's
quiet,
secluded
room
and saw
her
reading
a
book. Her
back
was
to
him.
He
thought that
this was
just
like
what
he had
seen in
the
dream.
Then,
the young
lady
saw
the abbot.
She rose
immediately
and bowed to him.
What book are you
reading?
He asked.
It's..
.it's...
she
rephed, hiding the
gold-lettered,
chocolate-colored book
behind her.
She
hesitated, feeling
uneasy.
Let
me
see the
book; I
will tell
no
one, the abbot
said.
The
young
lady
handed the
book
to
him. When he
looked
at
it,
he
saw
it
was
a
book
written
by
Master
Sheng-yen Lu,
entitled
The Method
of
Vajrayana.
Do
you
know
Sheng-yen Lu?
The
abbot
asked.
She said, I have not met him, but I
find his writings
make
a
lot
of sense.
I
wrote to
him
to
request refuge
and
I have
received
remote-empowerment
from
him.
I
am practicing
the
Guru Yoga,
reciting
the Guru
Heart
Mantra
and
reading
his books to learn
the Dharma.
Before I became
a
monk, I heard
many
things
about
him,
mostly criticisms, from
many
great monks. They
said
Sheng-yen Lu
had
gone
astray and
become
possessed
by
demons,
but
I
have
not
yet
read his books. Since you
have his books here,
which is
really
wonderful, would
you
lend
me
some
to
read?
She was
extremely
happy
to
hear
this.
From her
luggage
she
removed
The Realization
of
the Master, The
Bon
Religion
and
Sorcery, Highest
Yoga
Tantra and Ma-
hamudra, A Little
Taste
of
Zen, Between Buddha
and
Mara,
and
others, and handed them
to
the abbot.
Once
the
abbot
started to
read
them, he
foimd,
to
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(sky-dancers)
who
waited upon
him.
Interestingly,
one
of
the
nuns
had
a
growth
on
her
neck,
which
had
been
hard
and visible
to
everyone. Af-
ter the
dream
about
Master
Lu, the
growth became soft,
shrunken,
and
gradually
began
to
disappear.
The abbot
mailed a
list to
me
in
America of all the
names of the
monks
and nuns.
He
requested
initiations and
remote
empowerment
and
detailed his
reasons
for
doing so.
This
is
an absolutely
true
story.
In
the
past,
there
have
been
many
people
who
have
taken
refuge
due to
dreams,
and some of these have
been
mentioned in
my
previous
spiritual
books. One such per-
son is General Wang
Lien of Taipei,
author of Maintain
the Health by
Taoist
Breathing
Exercises,
Curing through
Taoist Breathing
Exercises, and
other
books.
In
Toronto,
Canada,
there
was
Chao
Li
Ch'an,
and
in
Edmonton,
Canada,
there
was
Liang
Yung
Ming
and other lay
Bud-
dhists.
People
who
have
taken
refuge through dreams
had
the
ritual
of refuge
done
first in the dreams, then later
they came
to
seek refuge in person.
There are many
more
monks and
nuns who
have
taken refuge
through remote
empowerment. For
example,
recently there
was
Dharma
Master
Shakya
Kuo
Hsien, the
abbot
of
Hui
Ch'uan
monastery
in
Hong
Kong,
Dharma
Master
Nai
Tung
of P'u Men
Pcto En
Monastery
in Thai-
land, Shakya Wu
Chin
and
Shakya Hui
P'o (mentioned
in
my previous
spiritual books). In fact,
there were many
more
from all over the
world.
Some
of these monks
and
nuns did not
want their initiation
publicized.
I
under-
stand
their
circumstances and
therefore do not reveal
their
names
in my books.
When
monks
and nuns took
refuge
in
me
and
asked
for advice, my replies were
sent
in
plain,
white
envelopes,
without
my
name and
address
on
them, so that
the
students
would
be
spared
sarcastic
remarks
from
other
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monks
and
nuns. Sometimes
my
replies had
to
be sent
via a
third
party
instead of
directly
to
the
monastery.
This was
to
avoid
unnecessary
troubles,
as it
was
not
easy
for
many
of
the
monks
and
nuns
to
seek
refuge
in
me.
It
was
a
rare occurrence
for
a
whole
monastery
of
monks
and
nuns
to
come
to take refuge.
This
was
a
des-
tiny
that
was
a
direct
result
of
my
book, The
Method
of
Vajrayana,
which emitted
golden
ray
in the
dreams
of the
abbot.
The
seven holy
blocks
approval
of
the
Thousand-
armed and
Thousand-eyed
Avalokitesvara
Bodhisattva,
the dream
about the
Master
by
the
nine
monks
and
nuns,
and
the
disappearance
of
the
nun's
neck
growth
these
are all great
mystical
experiences.
I would
like
to
disclose
the
name of this
monastery
and of its
abbot;
however,
the
abbot
requested in
his
letter
to me that I
withhold
their
names
from
the
public,
as
the
high monk
who
ordained
the
abbot into
monkhood
still harbors
misunderstandings
toward
me. I
understand
the
abbot's
difficulties
and
I beg
the
reader's
forgiveness
for keeping
the names
secret.
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3.
The
Advance
Notice
of the
Fire Deva
If residents
of Tai-chung
have
not
forgotten,
they
should
recall
a
moderate
fire that
broke out on Nanking
Road
that
had started
in the
building
of the First
Credit
Co-
operative Association. The fire spread
to the right, burn-
ing four or
five stores in succession,
and
ended
at
the
International
Electrical
Appliances store.
It
was
daytime when the buildings
caught fire.
At
that
time,
I
was
still
living
in
Taiwan.
Approximately
two years before
the
fire,
I
was
at
the
International
Electrical
Appliances
store to check the
Feng
Shui of the area.
It
was
the owner, not the tenant,
of
the
store
who
had
invited
me to conduct
a
Feng
Shui
investigation. The owner
was a woman
whose
husband
had
died
some
years
previously.
I remember that she
took
me
to
the
second floor,
where
there
was
an
altar
for
gods, and
I joined my
palms
before
the
altar.
Unexpectedly,
a
strange thing
happened.
I saw the Fire
Deva,
who is one of the
deities
called upon
in
Tantric
fire offerings. Its
Sanskrit name
is Agni,
and he is one of the Eight
Devas
at
the eight
points of
the
compass. The
Fire
Deva
was
riding a black oxen,
his
whole
body
was
red
in color, with flames surrounding
him.
He had four arms,
one
holding
a green bamboo, one
a
water jug,
one
was
held
with
the
palm
up,
and one held
the mala.
I
saw
his
body
flames
spread
out
and
turn into
natural flre, burning
up the
entire
building.
I was astonished
and
told the
owner,
This house is
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going to
be
destroyed by fire.
When? Her
face tuned pale.
Two
years
from
now, I
said
assuredly.
I
felt bad
after
telling
her
and
I knew
she also
felt
very
bad.
It
was
a
slip of the
tongue
I
spoke
without
a
second
thought
because I actually
saw both
the Fire
Deva
and
the destruction of the
building
in
a huge
fire. The
smoke was
dense, the fire was
fierce, the
pillars
burned
one
after another,
and
the whole
building
collapsed.
There
was
a time
when
I
pondered whether
it
was
right for me to
make
prophecies,
especially
ones
like
this.
To
tell
people that
their houses
were
going
to burn
down
was
frightening
to those
who
had
invited
me
to conduct
Feng
Shui.
After
the
owner heard
what
I
said,
her
face
turned
pale
and
blank.
I
knew
she
was
sad
and
I
regretted
mak-
ing the prophecy
in
such a direct
manner.
After
my
prophecy
of the Fire Deva,
the
owner leased
out
the
store
to the International Electrical
Appliances
and
moved herself
to another location.
She did
so mainly
because
of
the prophecy I
made.
However,
this woman did
not
come
to
see
me
for
the
next
two
years, probably
because she did not know
whether
she should
believe
me
or not.
Probably
she did
not
trust me.
From what I heard
later,
the fire at
Nanking
Road
was caused by sparks in electrical
wires. The
fire
broke
out at
the First
Credit
Co-operative
Association
and
spread towards the right
and finally destroyed
the In-
ternational Electrical Appliances store.
Two years after
my prophecy, the
owner came
back
to
me.
It
was all burned
down, right?
I
said.
Luckily,
I moved all the furniture
out,
she said.
How
come
your
prediction
was
so
accurate?
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definitely
not
a
welcome thing, but,
as
the proverb
says.
It is
the
unforeseen
that
always happens. Unfortunate
events
do
occur.
In the eyes of the Master
such events
are
karma,
destined
to
happen.
When
help can be given, I try
to do
my
best
to
help.
Furthermore,
as creatures grieve their
fellow
creatures,
I
try my
best
to
help those
who
come
to
me. But,
it's the
karma
Once I see the
Fire
Deva,
I
know
there
will
be a
visit
of
fire.
One
student
asked,
Why
can't
the
Master
ask
the
Fire
Deva
not
to
come?
In the wisdom eye of the Buddha, karma
is
unavoid-
able.
How
would
you
explain this?
I
replied,
Despite
the great spiritual
power
Master
has,
and
the
many
miracles that
axe
done
to
help
people,
spiritual
power is
ineffective
when
it encounters
karma.
The
relationship
between
cause and
effect
involved in
karma
can be
extremely complicated.
To
discuss this
in
detail
would take
a
considerable
amount
of
time.
Karma
will
definitely
happen, and Master
can
only
help
transfer
it or reduce
the
damage. In this
respect,
it very much
requires the faith
of
the
parties
involved,
or taking refuge
in Master and
learning
the
unexcelled Tantric
Dharma to
transfer the karma.
What
a
wonder
The
Holy
Red Crown Vajra
Master
Lian-shen, the Tantric Practitioner,
saw
the
Fire
Deva
and
predicted
the fires
facts
that can
be
verified by
anyone. Master is the manifestation of
Padmakumara
and the
founder of the True Buddha School. In the future,
there
will
be
thousands
of masters from the True Buddha
School giving
help to
people.
The True Buddha School
is
an
unexcelled, great Dharma
Cause
for the whole world.
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4. An Apparition's Call
Ever
since
she was
initiated,
Lian-ching of
Chile, South
America has been dihgently
practicing
Guru
Yoga. She
is
a
school
teaxiher
and
has
also
brought
several
Spanish-
speaking
people
to taJie refuge in the True Buddha School.
One
day,
while reading
in her
own
study,
she sud-
denly
felt tired.
She
fell asleep
and saw her deceased
mother appear before
her.
Lian-ching's
mother
had worked
hard
all her
life but
she
was
not
a
believer of
Buddhism. While
alive,
she
ran
a
chicken farm and had slaughtered
innumerable
chickens
for sale. Lian-ching vividly
saw
her mother
standing in
front of her. Her
mother
was
wearing
some
very old,
tattered
clothes,
and
she
looked
sad, as if she were sick
and
poor.
Her
mother
told Lian-ching
that
she
was
receiving
punishments
in
the
nether world
because
she
had
not
be-
Ueved
in anything while she
was
alive,
and
because
she
had
killed many lives.
Many
spirits
came
after
her.
Now,
without any possessions,
she was
acutely
ill all
the
time
and
had to
perform
hard
labor everyday,
a consequence
of not believing
in karma.
One day,
a
spirit
guard
told
her
secretly, Your
daughter has taken
refuge
in
the
True
Buddha School
and
become
a
disciple
of a real Vajra-
master
who
has great merits. If Lian-ching
asked the
Va-
jra
master
to perform
a
deliverance
for
you,
you
wouldn't
have
to
suffer
in here.
Lian-ching's mother
lamentedly
begged
her and, in
the
dream,
Lian-ching
herself
was
embracing
her
mother.
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With
tears
on her face,
and
crying
this
way, she woke
up.
Lian-ching
is
by
nature
a
very
fihal girl.
She
couldn't
bear to see
the
way
her
mother
had
suffered
in the
dream
and
thought
of
writing
to
the
Master,
to
beg
him
to
do
the
dehverance for her
mother.
But,
when she
thought
about
it
again,
it
seemed
to be
only
a
dream,
and
the
number
of
people who
sought
help
from the
Vajra-master
was
so
great. Thinking
about how
busy Master
must
be,
Lian-ching
did
not
want
to
bother him.
After all, it
was
just
a
dream.
Thinking
about
her
mother
and
Master,
she
could
not
make
up
her mind,
and
so it dragged
on for
a
few
days.
One day
while
Lian-ching
was
still indecisive, her
older sister,
who
lived
nearby, came
to
the
door and
told her
about
also
having
a
dream of
their mother.
In
the dream their mother
repeated
the words,
Shu-yun
is disobedient,...
Shu-yun
is
disobedient....
This
was
re-
peated continuously.
(Shu-yun
is Lian-ching's
real
name.)
Because
of this unusual
dream,
Lian-ching's
sister
had
come to tell her
about
it.
Such
a
coincidence
made
Lian-ching
decide to write
to
the
Master. She detailed ev-
erything
in
her
letter and enclosed
a photo of
her mother,
her
mother's birth
date, the
date
she passed
away, and
location of where
she
was
buried, together with
a fee for
the
offerings in
the
deliverance ritual.
After receiving her
letter,
I
placed
her
mother's
photo,
as
well
as
the
best offerings
to the Buddhas
on
the
altar. I
followed
the procedure
of deliverance,
wrote
and
burned
a
Prayer.
I
sincerely
invoked
all
Buddhas
and
Bodhisattvas.
The gist of
that
Prayer
is
as
follows:
To all Buddhas
and Bodhisattvas of
the Ten Direc-
tions
and Three Times, all
the
great
holy
sages
always
abiding
in
the Ten
Directions, please, with
your holy
eyes,
I
beg
you
to
guide
all sentient beings with
com-
passion,
and
hope
that
you
will
not
relinquish
the
vow
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of
compassion.
Please
descend
onto the
altar
and ac-
cept
Lian-ching's wonderful
offerings.
Now
there is
Lian-
ching's
mother who
is
in
extreme
torture in
the nether
world.
Without any
possessions,
help, or protection, she
is also
inflicted with
illnesses.
All
the
negative
karmas she
created
in life are appearing
to
her
in the
nether
world.
Involuntarily she
is being
punished by
the
spirit
guards.
Lian-ching's
mother now
being
initiated
in the True
Buddha
School
as
witnessed
by
its
founder, the
Holy
Red
Crown
Vajra Master
Lian-shen, the
Tantric
Practitioner,
who wishes that
all
Buddhas
and
Bodhisattvas
would
emit immense
brightness
with
compassion to
save
her
mother
and
to
endow her
with
great
empowerments,
so
as to
release her
from
her
extreme suffering
in
the nether
world.
Sages
of great
compassion
and
mercy, please
re-
lease
her
quickly
from
her
suflferings.
(At
this moment. Master
performed the
ritual
with
the Great Vajra
Compassion Hook.
With
the
power of
the Great
Compassion
Hook, her soul
was drawn
away
from
her
bad
karmas.
This is
like
a
drowning
person
being
hooked by
the
clothes
and
pulled to the shore
by
a
rescuer.)
During the course
of this
ritual
practice,
brightness
appeared
from the
nether world.
The
spirit
guards
of
the
nether
world
clasped
their
palms
and
chanted
together:
We all
how to the
venerable Lian-shen,
Who
apparently
resides
in the
human world,
In
the
form
of
a
Master
to
salvage
all
beings
And to liberate
those in the
nether world.
We
all
bow
to
the
great
venerable Lian-shen,
Who
preaches
the
fine
Dharmas with a mighty voice,
Points
out the
perfect
path
of
nirvana.
And
helps
all
beings
to obtain the
fruit
of
enlighten-
ment.
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These
spirit
guards
of
the nether world clasped
their
palms
and
lauded,
The Western Lotus Ponds Assem-
bly,
the
Maha
Twin
Lotus Ponds,
the Eighteen
Maha-
padmaicumaras,
the
Holy
Revered
One
Robed
in
White,
the
Holy
Red
Crown
Vajra Master, the Secret
Ruler
of
the
Realm
of Vajra Mantra, the
Enlightened Founder
of
Ling
Shen True
Buddha School, the
Illustrious
Tantrika,
Sheng-yen
Lu.
Then, from the
sky,
the
World of Ultimate
Bliss
of
Buddha
World
appeared.
Suddenly,
a
ray
of
golden
light
came
down
and
lifted
up
Lian-ching's mother. Her
mother saw a
four-armed
white Kuan
Yin
Bodhisattva,
smihng,
wearing
the
Five-Buddha
Crown
on
her head,
dressed
in
a
celestial gown
and
necklax;es,
and looking
magnificent.
The
golden
light came
from the mala in her
hand.
Lian-ching's
mother
chanted
respectfully, Namo
Kuan
Shih
Yin
Bodhisattva, Namo
Kuan Shih
Yin Bod-
hisattva,
...
This
deliverance
was
performed
daily
for
a
week,
yielding
perfect merits.
Lian-ching did
not dream of her
mother again,
nei-
ther
did her
sister. Only once,
while Lian-ching
was bow-
ing to
the White
Kuan
Yin
Bodhisattva in
the
temple
and
chanting
the
mantra of the
White
Kuan
Yin Bod-
hisattva, she
suddenly
saw white
lights
emitting
from the
top
of the
head
of the
Bodhisattva. In
front of
the White
Kuan
Yin Bodhisattva,
there
appeared
a
lotus
with
some-
one
sitting
cross-legged
on
it.
This
person
was
wearing
a
gray cloak like
Lian-ching's
mother used to
wear
and
the
person looked
very much Uke
her mother.
But she
disappeared
almost
immediately.
Lian-ching
reasoned
that the
deUverance
ritual per-
formed by the
Vajra
Master had
released
her
mother
from
her
suflFerings.
Kuan
Yin
Bodhisattva
had
shown
her
that
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her
mother had
already gone
riding
the
lotus.
Lian-ching
told
her
sister
about
this,
who also
thought
it
was won-
derful.
Her sister had
taken
refuge before
in other
Tulkus,
Lamas,
and
Vajra
masters; now
she wanted
to take
refuge
in
the
True
Buddha School.
She now
believed
the Holy-
Red
Crown Vajra
Master to be a
real
master
and
she
was
willing
to take
refuge in
another
real
vajra
master.
The
spiritual
power
of deliverance
is
unlimited
in a
real
vajra
master. Real
vajra
masters
are
actually
the
incarnations
of
Buddhas
and
Bodhisattvas.
They
appear
in all
kinds
of
manifestations,
which are
expedient
ways
of
leading
all beings
from
suffering
to
happiness.
Birth, aging,
sickness,
and
death
in
the
human
world
and
the
Six
Realms
of
cyclic
existence are
full
of
im-
mense
suffering.
This is
because
of the
effects of the
Eight
Desires
and
Angers.
For
the
One
Great
Cause,
the
Mas-
ter has
emerged in
this
world.
He
is fearless
of all
slanders
and
will
salvage
many
beings.
Slander only
impels
him
to
progress
more
vigorously because
he is
a
truly
Enlight-
ened
person.
Let us
hope
everyone
will
cross
the
river
to
the
other shore to
attain the
bodhi, to act
giccording
to
the
Buddha's teachings,
and
liberate both
the
living
and
the
deceased.
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times,
the
impact
of
unsuccessful careers
may affect
the
confidence
of
the
practitioners.
Therefore,
poor
students
should
enshrine
on
their
altar the
statue of Padmaku-
mara,
the
Vajra
of
Great
Blessing,
or
the
Four
Celestial
Kings,
or
the Yellow,
Red,
White,
or Black
Wealth Deity.
The
practice of the
Wealth
Deity Yoga is,
of course,
for
increased
benefits. But, the money that is
acquired
should
be
used
with good
will
and
not
for any
wicked
purpose
otherwise, there will
be
severe retributions.
Money,
itself,
is
neutral; it is
man
who
creates
good
or
bad
karma
with it.
Students
who manage to
rid
themselves of poverty
should practice
all the more. They
should
live frugally
and
not
extravagantly.
Besides
practicing
the
Wealth
Deity Yoga,
they must
practice the
Personal
Deity
Yoga
daily,
knowing that the most
meaningful
thing in life
is
to
practice
for
liberation.
It
is not
to
make
money and
become
millionaires.
Among the students,
there are,
unfortunately, many
who
are
greedy. They
wish
to get
something for
noth-
ing. They
do
not
work
hard, yet they hope
money
will
be easy to
come
by.
These
students wear the jackpot win-
ning charm
and
actively
practice the
Wealth
Deity Yoga.
However,
they are
neither sincere
nor honestly
desperate.
They only have
the rich
man's
dream.
Such
students
are
not
practical;
they
always
want
to be
lucky.
The
deities
will
not
grant
their luck.
Although
the charm
is
efficar
cious,
without the
blessing from
the
deities, it
will
not
send
forth
its
magical
power.
At
present, many students
send
numbers
to
me
for
my
blessings.
However,
there is only
one
grand
prize win-
ner
and
there
are
more than
three
hundred
requests
sent
to me
every month.
Therefore, I
can only
let Heaven
decide
who's going
to
win.
Many
students
are
excessive
in
their
requests.
They
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want to
win
every
time
when they
play
mahjong
or
dice
and,
when they
go
to
Las
Vegas or
Reno to
gamble, they
want
to
win
big.
Despite
the
great
fortune
with
which
Master
can
endow
students,
careful
considerations
have
to
be
made
too.
In
Indonesia,
there is a
student
who
used
to
be
very
poor
and
Uved
in a
rented
house.
Working
daily
in
a
rubber
plantation,
he
earned
very
small
wages.
But,
he
never stopped
reciting
the Giu-u's
Heart
Mantra.
He
had
a
photograph
of
the
Master
enlarged
and
framed.
To
the
photo
he
added
a
white
lotus
seat
and an
aura
around
the
head,
making
it more
magnificent.
Every
night,
before
he
went to
sleep,
he
would
take
the photo
from
a
bag
and
do his
practice;
when he
was
done, he
put
it
away
in
the
bag
again.
One
day,
he
dreamed
of
the
Master
giving
him
a
shin-
ing
lottery
ticket.
He
had
never bought a
ticket
before
but,
inspired by
the
dream,
he
bought
one.
It turned
out
to be
a
first prize
winner.
Winning
this first
prize
turned
him
into a
rich
man.
Today,
he
has not
forgotten
the
source
of
his
fortune.
In
the
middle
of his
Tantric
altar
there is a
statue
of
the
Padmakumara;
on the
right
is the
statue
of
Buddha
Shakyamimi
and
on the
left
is the
Foiu:
Armed
Kuan
Yin
Bodhisattva.
He
places
wreaths
of
white
flowers
around
all
the
pictures
of deities.
Now,
he has
also set
up
the
Eight
Offerings,
which
makes
the
altar
look more
digni-
fied.
The
spiritual
energy
around
it is
strong.
This
Indonesian
student is
Lian-lu of
Surabaya.
Lian-lu's
dream
about
the
Master
unexpectedly
changed
him
from a
poor
worker
into a
rich
man.
This
is
a
true
incident.
Lian-lu is
blessed
because
he
chants
the
Guru
Heart
Mantra
and
pays
homage,
with
utmost
respect, to
the
picture of
Master.
Padmakumara
has be-
stowed
protection
as
well
as
a
great
fortune
on
him.
This
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6.
Escape
From
The
Inferno
Of
Death
Since
the
English
pubUcation
of
one
ofmy
spiritual
books,
multitudes
of
Western
students
have
come
to
take
refuge.
One
of
them
is
a
Mr.
Raymond,
an
international
trade
businessman.
His
company
mailing address
in
Seattle
is
P.O.Box
738,
Seattle,
Washington
98111.^
He
had
previ-
ously learned
Kalika and
was
introduced
to me by
Doctor
Chieh
Wen. Mr.
Raymond
then
took
refuge
in
the
Holy
Red Crown
Vajra
Master
Sheng-yen
Lu,
the
Venerable
Tantric
Practitioner.
In
January,
1985,
Mr.
Raymond came to say
goodbye
to me
before
leaving
the
country to
do
business
overseas.
At
that
time, I
gave him
a
Dharma
picture
of
mine
and
a
copper
amulet and
told him that
he
could
chant
the
Guru
Heart
Mantra
anywhere,
at
any
time. I
also
told
him
he
could
take out
the
Master's picture
and
practice
the Guru
Yoga
during
his
trip.
Mr.
Raymond
asked
me
if
this
journey
was
inauspi-
cious.
I
did
an aura
reading
on him
and
replied, You
will
have a
frightening
experience
in Southeast
Asia.
How-
ever,
once
it
is
over,
everything
will
go
smoothly for
you.
I
specially
told him
that
the
Master's
spiritual
hght
would
protect
him
at
all
times,
and
that he
should
be
afraid
of
nothing.
On
the
night,
February
13th,
1985,
Mr.
Raymond
^
This
was
the
mailing address
of
Mr.
Raymond
in
1985.
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was in his
room
on the
third
floor
of
the Regent
Hotel
in
Manila. At
nine
o'clock,
he
took out
the
Master's
Dhaxma
picture
and
did his
practice.
He
went
to
bed
at
ten.
At
about
eleven
o'clock
he
saw
the
Master
in
his
dream,
wearing a yellow robe
and
a
yellow
hat,
and
smiling at
him.
In his
dream, Mr.
Raymond
asked the
Master,
Aren't you
in the
United
States?
Why are
you here
in
Manila?
I've
specially
come
to see
you,
Lian-piao.
(Mr.
Raymond's refuge
name
is Lian-piao.)
It
is
a
long journey I
am
very
grateful
to you
for
doing
that.
Do you
remember
that
prior
to
your
departure,
I
told
you
that
you
will
have
a frightening experience
in
Southeast Asia?
Yes,
I
do.
I
do. I do.
Now, it's
time to
get up,
now it's time to
get up,
hurry, hurry,
. .
.
Master
shook Lian-piao
vigorously
with his hands
and Lian-piao
was like
a boat
being
rocked violently
back
and
forth
by
the
wind and
tides.
Still in
his dream, Lian-
piao
continued
to
murmur,
Master,
please
do
not shake,
do not
shake...
Then
suddenly he woke
up. There
was no
Master.
It
was a
dream.
But the dialogue
in
the
dream alerted
him. He
got up
and
checked the
time
it was
eleven-
thirty
p.m.. Mr. Raymond
opened
the
door. There was
thick
smoke
outside.
Instinctively,
he put
on
his clothes,
grabbed
his
briefcase,
rushed
down the stairs and, in
no
time,
was
out on the street. By
this
time, the
fire
was
burning
ferociously
in the
hotel.
Mr. Raymond stood on
the
spot,
terrified. For
a moment
this,
too,
felt like
a
dream.
The
fire
at
Manila's
Regent
Hotel
began
in
two
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places.
One
was
in the
conference
room
on the
second
floor,
the
other
was
in
a
room on the
ninth
floor.
The fires
started
at
around
eleven-thirty
p.m., and
quickly
spread
throughout
the
hotel.
Damage was
extremely
serious.
There
were
twenty-two
identified dead,
uncount-
able
numbers
of
injured,
and
many
unidentified
bodies.
Among
the
dead
were two
Americans:
Edward
Carroll,
a
U.S.
Internal
Revenue
Service
official
based
in
Tokyo,
and
Lewis
Carrol
Rowney, a
serviceman
stationed
at
Subic
Bay
Naval Base.
Mr.
Raymond
saw
a
woman
standing
on the
eighth
floor's
balcony
crying,
Help
Help me
please But,
no
one
moved,
because
nobody
could
help
her. Many
people jumped
to
their
deaths.
Some
were killed by
sharp,
broken
glass,
some hit
protruding
blocks
and
broke
their
limbs.
It
was
cruel
to
watch.
The
huge flre,
people
escaping,
suffocating,
burning,
and
jumping off the
building
interwove
in
a
living
tragedy.
People
become
totally
helpless
in such a